CULTURE

Bestival 2017 declare themselves the finest purveyors of grime, indie rock and rave 

New names announced today that straddle those genres include Wiley, Blossoms, Roots Manuva and Twin Atlantic, as well as folk trailblazer Nick Mulvey, and “hip hop hype man”, Fatman Scoop.

Bestival veterans will have to find their bearings on a fresh new site in Dorset, though most of the stages – including Bollywood and The Temple – will return.

Also returning is Bestival’s masterstroke of the daytime rave, The Port.

New stages include The Box and The Castle Stage, the main stage and second in command respectively, both of which feature diverse line ups from fringey guitar bands (Let’s Eat Grandma) to icons (headliners A Tribe Called Quest, The xx and The Pet Shop Boys).

That said, we’ve never been sticklers to line ups, and believe the best of Bestival is getting lost in its immensely creative setting. We’re looking to put 2016 behind us, starting with a visit to the new immersive colour field that’ll represent a push toward more installations and creative experiences for 2017.

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TRASH

Bestival 2017 announces “a garage pool party” with ultimate throwback names

Rob da Bank has declared Bestival 2017 the year to “dress as a multi-coloured gherkin” as Bestival move to a fresh site in Dorset that will host the hedonism in a forest setting, surrounded by open fields.

It’s unclear whether there’ll be reason to don the trunks and bikini tops yet, but either way The Garage Pool Party will play up to Bestival’s famous love of nostalgia. Names playing include Heartless Crew, DJ Luck & MC Neat, and Oxide & Neutrino.

Elsewhere across the site, Charlotte Church, the much-papped child star turned maker of weird atmospheric electronic music, is hosting a coy and mysterious “Late Night Pop Dungeon”, making us yelp in excitement and fear in equal measure, and there’s a mighty slew of techno and dance heavyweights like Dusky, Jackmaster, Annie Mac, Heidi, Patrick Topping, Kolsch and Andy C in the new and reformed Temple Stage.

And a man called “Disney Rascal” joins the rest of the cast, including the world’s largest bouncy castle, the inflatable church, carnival day parade and … free haircuts!

Tickets are available now | buy them online